IndiaSkills 2021 regional competition for south
The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India, will organise the last phase of IndiaSkills 2021 Regional Competition for South in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The two-day competition will gather more than 400 participants from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana who will compete in over 50 skills. From Tamil Nadu, 84 students will participate. The winners of the Regional Competitions will exhibit their skills at IndiaSkills Nationals scheduled for January 2022. The national gold and silver medalists in each skill will represent the country at the WorldSkills Competition to be held in Shanghai, China (October 2022).
Web development skills increasingly popular
Internshala Trainings has released a report highlighting the growing popularity of web development skills among the Indian youth. As per the report, enrollments in web development training grew 230% from 2017 to 2021. It suggested that 41% of the learners enrolled in the web development training with the objective of landing a successful internship or job opportunity. Willingness to build their industry-level real-world project, get a valid certificate of learning and training completion, and fulfil the demand of their college authorities, were other major reasons why learners majorly opted to learn web development. The top five skills that ruled web development in 2021 were HTML, JavaScript, CSS, PHP, and ReactJS.
Xebia Academy launches PSPO certification
Xebia Academy has introduced a two-day PSPO Certification Training for learners to gain an understanding of how to leverage the product value and systems. There are no prerequisites required but a basic knowledge of Scrum would help. Last date to apply is December 16. Visit https://bit.ly/3Dhnd7k to register
Practically launches The Learning Lobby
Practically has launched ‘The Learning Lobby,’ an initiative that answers basic yet important questions from educators and parents. The objective is to ensure teachers and parents are able to cultivate a healthy environment for themselves and their students by overcoming challenges such as striking a work-life balance (for teachers), stress management, and dealing with adolescence to begin with. The initiative came to light after an internal study to understand the challenges faced by educators. The Learning Lobby is a response to the feedback received from across the country.
Workshop on Estate Planning
OAWA Investment Education will host a three-day workshop on ‘Estate Planning: Succession Planning and Private Trust’ from December 17-19 to cover frequently asked questions and common misconceptions on the subject, Estate Planning- Wills & Private Trusts. The workshop will be led by Dilip Balakrishnan, Co-Founder & Director at Stratmore Wealth Pvt. Ltd and has a registration fee of ₹5,999. To register visit https://razorpay.com/payment-link/plink_IMergj9RDo5bKz
Talking gloves from IIT Jodhpur and AIIMS Jodhpur
Innovators from the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur (IIT Jodhpur) and All India Institute Of Medical Science (AIIMS) Jodhpur have developed low-cost ‘Talking Gloves’ for people with speech disability. The device costs less than Rs. 5000 and uses principles of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to help individuals to convert hand gestures into text or pre-recorded voices. Hence, makes a differently-abled person independent and communicates their message effectively. This was developed by Prof. Sumit Kalra, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Jodhpur, along with Dr. Arpit Khandelwal from IIT Jodhpur, and Dr. Nithin Prakash Nair (SR, ENT), Dr. Amit Goyal (Prof. & Head, ENT), and Dr. Abhinav Dixit (Prof., Dept. of Physiology), from AIIMS Jodhpur. Details available at https://bit.ly/3IfO4o3
CoLLearn partners with Officiating Collective
CoLLearn, an edtech platform that focuses on non-traditional career dreams through live online offbeat courses and mentorship programmes in a cohort-based setting, has announced an exclusive partnership with Officiating Collective, a platform that caters to training of sports officials.
IIT-M research on disability and employment
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras conducted a study based on the differences in employment rates among persons with disabilities, arising from diverse nature of their disabilities. The research was undertaken by Dr. Lata Dyaram, Associate Professor, Department of Management Studies, and her doctoral student, Vasanthi Suresh. The findings were recently published in the reputed peer-reviewed journal Emerald Insight ( https://bit.ly/31mo3Cu ).
Amity University in the news
HDFC Bank entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Amity for a Rising Bankers’ Programme. The formal ceremony was held at the Amity University campus. This programme aims to generate employment opportunities for the youth in the Banking and Finance sector.
The university was also visited by Uttar Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (UPSCHE) team led by Prof. Girish Chandra Tripathi, Chairman, UPSHEC. The team made extensive lab visits and also interacted with the students and faculty.
Dr. Nidhi Chauhan, Assistant Professor, Amity Institute of Nanotechnology (AINT), Amity University Uttar Pradesh (AUUP), was listed among the top 2% of Stanford University’s World Scientists List. Dr. Chauhan is an eminent researcher in the field of Nanotechnology and Sensing Technology for Biomedical applications.
Kashish Lakra selected for Asian Youth Para Games
Kashish Lakra, a student of Modern Public School, Shalimar Bagh, New Delhi, has been selected by the Paralympic Committee of India to represent India in the Para Athletics Event at the 2021 Asian Youth Para Games, which will be held at Manama, Bahrain until December 6 2021. Kashish was the youngest Indian athlete at the Tokyo Paralympic Games 2020 and specialises in the Women's Club Throw F51 category, which is a sport where the objective is to throw a wooden club as far as possible.
Research on gender representation
New research from the University of Otago, New Zealand, has discovered a potential solution to the under-representation of women in senior management. Associate Professor Helen Roberts and Dr. Pallab Biswas, both from the Department of Accountancy and Finance, co-authored a study that found that more women on boards is associated with more women in senior management. Professor Larelle Chapple, from Queensland University of Technology, and Professor Kevin Stainback, from Purdue University, also co-authored the research. The research was published in the Journal of Business Ethics.
BYJU’s partners with Ladli Foundation
BYJU’S has partnered with Ladli Foundation to positively impact the lives of 100,000 underprivileged children across the country. This will provide children in classes 6-10 free access to BYJU’S tech-enabled learning programme. The partnership has several other ancillary programmes that have also been launched. One such is the e-Pathanshaala program through which volunteers and interns of Ladli Foundation guide the beneficiary students to use the BYJU’S platform effectively.
AdtU placements
Assam down town University (AdtU) has achieved a record of 90% placement between 2019 and 2020. The university has collaborated with more than 300 recruiting partners and secured more than 700 job offers for its students. Recruiting partners include Amazon, BYJU’s, Wipro, TCS, Cognizant, Capgemini, IBM, HCL, Accenture, P&G, Cipla, Nestle, HP, Genpact, Apollo Group, NIMHANS, Taj Chennai, Lemon Tree Group of Hotels, and Radisson Group among others.
Propelld sees growth in 2021
Education finance start-up Propelld has disbursed education loans for more than 45,000 students over 550 institutions in 2021. Propelld witnessed a high demand for education loans in tier 1 and tier 2 cities, with a majority of applications coming from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. The overall requirement for education financing comprises around 28% female and 72% male students.
IIT-Guwahati sees increase in PPOs; researchers develop coating for better masks
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati has seen a significant increase in Pre-Placement Offers (PPOs) this year. Students received as many as 179 PPOs during the Academic Year 2021-22, which was the highest in the last three years. Most offers were in the sectors of Information Technology/Software, Finance, Analyst, and Product profiles. The process is being conducted in a completely virtual mode where the companies and students are participating in the process from their respective places.
Researchers from the institute have developed a ‘Nanometer Thick Superhydrophobic Coating’ material to modify ordinary cloth or silk masks that will maintain its comfort but offer better protection against aerosol-driven infections such as COVID-19. The research was led by Prof. Arun Chattopadhyay, Department of Chemistry and Centre for Nanotechnology, and Dr. Partho S. G. Pattader, Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Health Science and Technology, and Centre for Nanotechnology. This work has been published in the peer-reviewed journal ACS Applied Bio Materials ( https://bit.ly/31p8kCH ).
JKLU celebrates Convocation Day and Founder's Day
JK Lakshmipat University celebrated its ninth Convocation Day and Founder’s Day and congratulated the final-year students, who were conferred with the graduate and postgraduate degrees on the successful completion of BBA, B.Tech, MBA, M.Tech and PhD programmes. Rajender Singh Yadav, Minister of Higher Education, Rajasthan, was the chief guest of the event. The event also marked the 111th Birth Anniversary of its founder, Lala Lakshmipat. Bharat Hari Singhania, Chancellor of the University and President, JK Organisation, graced the occasion along with the other dignitaries including Vice Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Dheeraj Sanghi, Pro Chancellor Dr. R.P. Singhania, the Pro VC Asheesh Gupta. Faculty members, staff, graduating students and their parents attended the programme.
We Founder Circle backs IMT Ghaziabad’s Concepto
We Founder Circle (WFC) has announced its backing of IMT Ghaziabad’s Concepto, a yearly initiative that aims to help aspiring entrepreneurs and start-up founders in the initial stages of their business ventures. We Founder Circle will give these startups direct entry to their accelerator programme EvolveX. This year the event will be conducted virtually, and shall have three rounds including introductory presentation, pitch deck presentation, and final pitch to the investors. The shortlisted start-ups will get an access to funding worth up to $1million, along with a chance to get incubated by quality mentors. This year Concepto got more than 400 entries.
Awareness of antimicrobial resistance
AYUDH, the youth wing of Mata Amritanandamayi Math, has organised a bicycle rally as part of WHO’s World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW). The theme was “Cycle Against AMR—Go Blue” and the aim was create awareness about the need to follow hygiene practices, and avoid the misuse of antibiotics to contain antimicrobial resistance. Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University) also organised Amrita Legion of Antimicrobial Resistance Management (ALARM) 2021, a three-day virtual international colloquium on antimicrobial resistance.
IMS Ghaziabad celebrates Melange 21
IMS Ghaziabad celebrated “MELANGE 21”, its annual inter-institute cultural festival. The event had Dance, Drama, Art, Music and Fashion and was conceptualised under the mentorship of Nitin Agarwal, Managing Trustee, IMS Group of Institutions and Director, Dr. Urvashi Makkar. The Chief Guest was Ashish Patel, Managing Director, Morgan Franklin Consulting, Washington, the U.S. Others who were part of the event included Sushant Sinha, Editor, Times Now; Indresh Mishra, eminent classical vocalist; poet Nisha Bhargav; and fashion designer Vaishali Jain.
Continuity in education during the lockdown
A recent survey by policy think tanks LIRNEasia and ICRIER has shown that Maharashtra was able to ensure continuity in formal education for 38% of its school-going (enrolled) children during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Maharashtra’s relatively high levels of digital connectivity has clearly been an enabling factor in the provision of remote education, with 87% of households having internet access, or 55% of its population aged 15 and above being internet users. But even among those that had continuity in their education, the experience varied vastly in terms of the format and the level of interactivity between students and teachers. These variations can in turn lead to disparities in educational outcomes.
Affine to collaborate with AMTDC at IIT-Madras
Affine, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Engineering solutions provider, announced that it has collaborated with Advanced Manufacturing Technology Development Centre (AMTDC), a Centre of Excellence on Machine Tools and Production Technology set up by IIT Madras to research and test technology developments. This will explore new avenues of research in the manufacturing sector to innovate solutions and engineering processes to build a future-ready shop floor environment.
Tree plantation drive
Smiling Tree organised a drive to plant over 2000 saplings in the University of Delhi, schools and other areas of Delhi-NCR. They planted 1150 saplings and 60 baskets at Hansraj College, 150 plants at Ramjas College, 350 saplings at Leelawanti Saraswati Vidya Mandir School in Hari Nagar and about 350 saplings in other areas of Delhi-NCR.
Rishihood University to collaborate with IIPA
Rishihood University signed a MoU with the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) with the aim of fostering long-term academic and scientific cooperation. The MOU will enable knowledge transfers and assistance, via training and mutual research collaborations in the areas of modern governance and evolving public policy. The two institutions have agreed to maintain collaborative relations to promote cooperation in capacity building of Public Servants. From training programmes, faculty exchange to joint research projects, many activities will be executed in order to achieve progress and enable mutual accomplishments.
NIT AP to collaborate with other institutions
National Institute of Technology Andhra Pradesh is collaborating with neighborhood State Government-funded Universities to form a Regional Educational Cluster Group covering East Godavari and West Godavari Districts of Andhra Pradesh State. The objective is to promote research-based local community service projects, in line with the vision of National Educational Policy (NEP) 2020. The institute signed a MoU with Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Kakinada, Dr. Y.S.R. Horticulture University, Tadepalligudem and Adikavi Nannaya University, Rajahmundry. The agreements were signed by Prof. C.S.P. Rao, Director, NIT Andhra Pradesh, Prof. GV.R. Prasada Raju, Vice-Chancellor, JNTU Kakinada, Prof. T. Janakiram, Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Y.S.R. Horticulture University, and Prof. M. Jagannadha Rao, Vice-Chancellor, Adikavi Nannaya University.
More Indian students in Wales
The number of Indian students studying for their undergraduate or postgraduate degree in Wales increased by more than 200% last year – higher than any other region in the United Kingdom. There are currently 18 million students from India studying worldwide, travelling, making new friends, and learning new languages – while receiving a world-class education. And more than 55,000 are currently residing in the United Kingdom.
Babji Vidyashram accredited to NABET
Babaji Vidhyashram announced its accreditation to the National Accreditation Board for Education and Training (NABET), a statutory board of the Quality Council of India (QCI). The school follows a concept-based experiential learning approach. To know more, visit www.babajividhyashram.org
